This invention relates to recirculating automatic document feed devices for copying machines, and more particularly, to an improved bottom stacker for use in such devices.
The advantages of a recirculating automatic document feeder (RADF) is well known in the art. For example, one such advantage is the ability to recirculate a multi-sheet original document, making one copy per circulation, such that the copy output comprises a single stack of many collated copy sets without the necessity of providing an output multi-bin collator. This pre-collation copying is sometimes accomplished by feeding the multi-sheets of the original document from the top of the stack and insert each sheet after copying in the bottom of the stack.
Some of the problems encountered with RADFs of the top feed/bottom stack variety include the tendancy for sheets to fold as they reenter the bottom of the stack due to curl induced into the sheets by transport rollers, wrinkle from misalignment of sheets as they reenter the bottom of the stack and the inability of the RADFs to accomodate extremely lightweight sheets.